360 Degree Management of the Claimant Experience
Insurance adjusters and examiners are immersed in claims every single day and are responsible for ensuring that all claimants are indemnified. This can involve everything from claimant phone calls to paperwork and checking into invoices from providers to ensure injury relatedness. These tasks and more are all critical to the claims administration process. Equally critical though is the appropriate management of the claimant’s experience.
Ensure the best experience for your claimants
From the moment a claimant first contacts your insurance company after he or she has been injured to the very end of the claim when the file is closed out, it is critical for your company to ensure that the claimant has the best experience possible. In addition to the regular administrative work that goes on behind the scenes, adjusters and examiners must be prepared to proactively reach out to the claimants to make sure their needs are being met and care is being provided appropriately.
Claimants also oftentimes have a variety of questions about how the claims process works; this is an excellent opportunity for your company to step in to go above and beyond. Having a dedicated customer service department that can expertly handle claimant questions indicates to your claimants that your company is putting their best interests first. You might even take this a step further by scheduling proactive calls to your claimants to check in throughout the process and address any questions or concerns they may have.
In addition to regular communication with the claimant, there are many other processes that would provide exceptional service to your claimants. Most claimants are not familiar with how the claims process works which may lead them to feel overwhelmed rather quickly. This is especially true when physician prescribed services are involved in the claim due to the paperwork that is often involved. It can be an additional burden to the claimant if your company requires them to pay out of pocket for those services and submit reimbursement paperwork.
Keeping track of these receipts and paperwork can become rather tedious and difficult for your claimants. This is particularly the case for claimants that have multiple injuries or need several prescribed services from multiple providers. If the claimant doesn’t fully understand the reimbursement process, they may experience delays with both paperwork and the reimbursement payments. This can quickly lead to frustration on the part of your claimants which of course is something to be avoided when at all possible. This is why Northwood implements pre-authorization for all physician prescribed services in every claim.
These are but a few examples of opportunities to manage your claimants’ experience within the claims administration process. Taking the time to ensure your company is looking at ways to improve their experience throughout the entire claim is a major benefit to the claimant, yet it also benefits your company through increased retention levels.
Increase retention levels through claimant experience management
For a look at how Northwood can partner with you to create higher levels of claimant satisfaction and increase retention rates for your company, Schedule a call with Rosanne Brugnoni at 586-755-3830 ext. 3771